Media Blitz – C.O.P. – Thought Process – S.M. – Sonic Session – at The Mexican Cultural Center – Santa Ana, CA

Once again, some of Orange County's finest were brought together to provide a Punk Rock experience, and provide donations to a good cause. The event took place at The Mexican Cultural Center in Downtown Santa Ana, and started around 9PM. Media Blitz, C.O.P, Thought Process, S.M, and Sonic Session all played together on Saturday night.

 Sonic Session opened up the show, and once again set up a good display and good music to pit to. The floor at The Mexican Cultural Center is made of hard wood, and it was more slippery than usual. All the kids at the show were extremely prone to slipping, and as more kids showed up to engage in Sonic Session's pit, more and more kids were slipping out of control.

Some took advantage of the floor and purposely slipped and slid on the floor out of their own amusement, and others simply just took their shoes off to avoid crashing. Sonic Session covered Agent Orange's "Bloodstains" and covered it nicely. It was one of the last songs before their depart, and people seemed more than pleased with Sonic Session's set.

S.M went on after Sonic Session, with vocalist Cody Dillon sporting a purple sweater that I'm sure the entire crowd was envious of... I know I was! At the last show, S.M put on a great set, but since that time, S.M has gotten even better and much more exciting to see. S.M got a really good response from the audience, and their pit was pretty fun and full of energy. S.M covered The Exploited's "Sex And Violence" and they did an awesome job with their cover. S.M's set was well put together and pleasant to watch, these kids know exactly what they're doing.

 

Thought Process came third, and blew the crowd away. Their set included some fast paced songs that got everyone going, and slipping out of control. The pit was extremely packed, and people kept crashing into vocalist Ditch, and into the drum set. When Thought Process covered Adolescents' "Welcome To Reality", audience members seemed to have been struck by sudden adrenaline, because the movement shifted from the back to the very front of the pit, and people who had been bystanders the whole time, all shot straight into the pit. Thought Process was awesome, and their pit was pretty insane. The band showcased one of the best sets of the night, and were one of the best period.

C.O.P went on and only reassured the audience why Punk Rock is worth the mess and the trouble. C.O.P was impressive and raw, and had such strong energy that it was inevitable to face and be consumed by. The pit was pretty vicious, and the slipping and sliding just kept getting more and more out of control. Overall, C.O.P's set was quickly approaching and slightly becoming the pinnacle of the night. Their songs fueled the crowd and prepared them to go off at any given moment. Some blew up completely during C.O.P's set, but who can blame them? C.O.P was absolutely dynamic.

During the intermission between C.O.P and Media Blitz, Roman Candle, a group composed of an accordion and acoustic guitar, began to play a few songs to entertain and delight the crowd. Audience members clapped along to the songs and stood around encircling the band watching in amusement.

Once Media Blitz finally came and went into their places, vocalist Jason Schwartz notified us that a music video was going to be recorded during their set, and asked the crowd to cooperate and to try not to slip and crash into the camera equipment. Once Media Blitz began to play, the venue went out of control. A mob nearly always surrounded Jason Schwartz, singing along to every song, and the pit was a sloppy mess of fun. Media Blitz covered Black Flag's "Rise Above" and nearly caused the crowd to destroy the small venue. Media Blitz played late into the night, and it was almost 1AM when the band finished their set. The band ended their set with their popular rendition of Beastie Boys' "You Gotta Fight" and ended the night with a sense of satisfaction.

The crowd was somewhat small that night, but that didn't stop the kids from going off and bringing tremendous energy to the show. The Mexican Cultural Center managed to pull off another well put together show, and bring another Punk Rock night in Orange County into play. The show demonstrated how our combined efforts in OC enhance the Punk Rock experience here, and supply support for the bands that play. All of the bands did an awesome job in providing good times and good music to the youth of OC.

-Stephanie M.-
Big Wheel music scene reporter

 

More photos of the show can be seen HERE

 
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